Rock Island daily Argus., 1887-12-19

;rations of the unseen battles Of youth

The Young men okr of in the text
have passed through these battles, and
have come of victorious. Others haye
fought with mighty enemies. but yours
are the mightiest, not only wrestling with
flesh and blood, but with principalities
and powers and spiritual wickedness in
high places. The victories which you
have gained should lead you to be faiths
full in the discharge Of your peculiar
duties. 1t should lead you to faithful
ness toward those who are fighting the |
same battles you once fought. You
know the cunning of the enemy, his
tactics, the weakness of youth. The
church looks to you young men; there
comes up an agonizing cry for help. /
once read an old fable Of Moniature
that dwelt in the labyrinths of Crete.
Every year seven Of the brave sons and
most beautiful daughters had to be
given to him for food. Young Thesseus
volunteered to deliver his land. Taking
the clue he entered the labyrinths and
slew the monster. There are many
monsters lurking in our cities and towns,
demanding an annual tribute of our
bravest and fairest. There is skepticism,
and in his cave, dark and damp and
green with the dripping mould of centur-
| les. immortal souls are waiting for their
death. There is licentiousness, and Eer
| habitation is filled with the bones of her
victims, whom she has deluded from the
sweet pleasures of home. There is iu~
temperance, the entrance to whose hor>
rible caverns are to be seen at every
corner, and into them men 60 staggering
night and day. towards drunkards
grave and a drunkard's fearful doom.
Whose sons. whose daughters will be the
next victims.
Must the brave and beautiful of our
homes be sacrificed every year. not by
sevens but by thousands3 Young men
we look to you for deliverance. Gird
yourselves. go forth to battle with every
power of satan. We know you Can, and
will succeed
VICES OF CONVERSATION.
Rev. A. B. Meldrum preached in the
Central Presbyterian church last evening
to.young people, on the Vices of Con-
versation." taking for his text Colossians,
ike:
1 Let your speech be always with grace sessone,
! with salt"
t The power of speech, Mr.. Medium
d said. is the special glory of the human
? frame. 1t is the faculty which lifts man 81
q far above the inferior order of creation
The tongue, as if an eagles wings, bear
: our thoughts, and thanks, and aspiration
to the ear of God. 1t is this that arouse
a righteous indignation, awskens hol
d enthusiasm, and inhsmes a people wit
n heroic resolves And shall we let sata
take possession of this glory of our ms
At ton, and use it to bring to pass his ne
ir farous purposes2 To our shame it hs
" to be confessed that the devil has SO man
ur human tongues at his disposal that he
II seldom under the necessity of using
m own. Oar text condemns profsnit
s This is vice we are not to extenua
he upon any consideration. 1t is vulga
to brutal and wrong 1t is the vice of Il
no lowest classes, of the drunken classes.
,r. the mean and vicious souls who swe
is best when they are dirtiest and most u
An like men. The swearer cuts his ov
a self.respect, May God keep US all pu
i've from this horrible vice; leave it to t
hin ignorant, the bullies and the sharks, b
ck in the name of all that is pure and lcvel
is do not initiate them.
lis. Oar text also condemns calumny
mrs evil speaking, that prolific source of l
be happiness. that bane of the christi
AS. church. There are certain poisons,
,sly grains of which will fail to do what h
in grain will successfully accomplish.
ess wilful and open slander from the fact Il
ing it is most glaring is least dsngero
pds Half truths often work more misct
uyb than whole falsehoods. Hearts b
d if been broken, families sundered, churcl
Do disbanded and whole communities
all by the ears by word maliciously
hen heedlessly spoken. The injuries inf
or ed by cslumny are for the most part i
eek parable; nothing so hard to heal al
of wounded reputation. The slanderer
ugh longs to the miserable race WI
ia special vocation it is to murder fs
1t is loathsome leeches on the body pol
very ferocious vampire bats that corrode '
syes their poisonous slime all that they
hild not speedily destroy. Another vic
uily conversation is fattery. The fati
ord may act from the same motives as
, is s.anderer, but his tactics are differ
De- | llE piCtCudS uOt W sSC lChl Ahuieot
orld he does, is sure not to correct or repr
hid He prefers to let man sleep when
rhed house Is in flames Nothing 30 unne
the man as fiattery. 1t makes him j.
lions himself wise when he is fool,
him, when be is profane. man when he
the mere miserable poltroon. Beware
the those who would rob you Of all N
q the ness through the binding infuene
,lity. corrupt adulation. Ben johnson
outh right when he said. "of all wild bt
bat- preserve me from the tyrant and {
hans tame-the fatterer
min
have THE TAX LEVY.
bject